In a recent discussion on The Vanguard, MMA analyst Luke Thomas painted a stark picture of the unwavering political loyalty within mixed martial arts circles, declaring that the sport’s community will be “the last people to abandon Trump.”
Thomas’s comments came during a conversation about Joe Rogan’s diminishing influence and the increasingly politicized nature of combat sports. While discussing potential defections from Trump’s base, Thomas was unequivocal: “The last people to abandon Trump or the last people to abandon Rogan or the last people to abandon the Right, it’s going to be the MMA crowd, right?”
The analyst clarified he wasn’t speaking for all MMA fans, but specifically those within the industry itself—people with voices and audiences who have become deeply intertwined with right-wing politics.
According to Thomas, Rogan maintains what he called “most favored nation status forever” within MMA circles, cementing his position “in the firmament of MMA forever, for better, for worse.”
This loyalty extends beyond Rogan to the broader political landscape. Thomas emphasized that while MMA insiders might eventually criticize Rogan’s performance as a fight analyst—noting his lack of preparation and diminished technical knowledge—their personal admiration remains intact.
“If they have complaints about him, and they do, by the way, it’s really about the performance on the job as an analyst when calling fights,” Thomas explained.
The upcoming UFC White House event crystallizes this political alignment. Thomas described it as an obvious “political reward for the UFC to help get Trump elected,” noting that the organization was “absolutely instrumental in turning out very difficult to reach portions of the electorate.”
Plans to potentially hold the event on Trump’s 80th birthday rather than July 4th only underscore the partisan nature of what’s being marketed as a patriotic celebration.
Thomas pushed back against attempts to frame the White House event as apolitical or unifying, calling such characterizations absurd given Trump’s “radical politics” and destructive impact on American society. The event will likely feature tech billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg who “have no business being around the fight sports more broadly,” further cementing MMA’s role as a vehicle for right-wing political expression.
When asked whether changing public opinion might influence Dana White’s approach, Thomas reiterated his central thesis: “Once again, the last crowd that’s going to turn on Trump is going to be this one.”
For those hoping the MMA world might distance itself from partisan politics, Thomas’s message was clear—that reconciliation simply isn’t coming.
